Article and method for controlling moisture

Abstract

An attic tray made from a breathable membrane for use in controlling moisture in a building attic and improving the energy efficiency of the building achieved by installing the tray above the roof rafters thereby providing the presence of an air gap between the breathable membrane and the roof deck such that energy that normally passes from the living space into the attic and out the top of the building is conserved.

1 . An attic tray comprising,
 a breathable membrane having first and second opposing edges and top and bottom opposing edges, and side supports adhesively attached at the first and second opposing edges, and an upper overlap at the top edge, wherein at least a portion is coated with adhesive, and a lower overlap at the bottom edge.   
     
     
         2 . The attic tray of  claim 1 , comprising one or more cross supports extending from the side support on the first edge to the side support on the second edge and adhesively attached to the breathable membrane. 
     
     
         3 . The attic tray of  claim 2 , comprising perforations in the side supports. 
     
     
         4 . The attic tray of  claim 3 , comprising dead fold reinforcements across the perforations. 
     
     
         5 . The attic tray of  claim 4 , wherein the breathable membrane is a three-layer spunbonded polypropylene fabric. 
     
     
         6 . The attic tray of  claim 4 , wherein the breathable membrane is a two-layer composite sheet of a flashspun high-density polyethylene sheet and a spunbond polypropylene sheet. 
     
     
         7 . The attic tray of  claim 4 , wherein the breathable membrane is a flashspun high-density polyethylene sheet. 
     
     
         8 . The attic tray of  claim 4 , wherein the breathable membrane is a nonwoven sheet of sheath-core bicomponent melt spun fibers, wherein the sheath is polyethylene and the core is polyester. 
     
     
         9 . The attic tray of  claim 4 , wherein the breathable membrane is a composite of a layer of sheath/core bicomponent melt spun fibers and a layer of side-by-side bicomponent meltblown fibers, wherein the bicomponents are polyethylene and polyester and the sheath is polyethylene and the core is polyester in the sheath/core bicomponent.